YOUTH RESOURCES: Teen substance experimentation can be stopped early

“It is 10 years since I used drugs or drank alcohol and my life has immeasurably improved. I have a job, a house, a cat, good friendships and generally a bright outlook. But the price of this is constant vigilance, because the disease of addiction is not rational.”

That testimony was published in the March 5 edition of the weekly British magazine, “The Spectator,” by English comedian, author and actor Russell Bran, who has been sober for 10 years but still wages battle every day against his addictions.

Brand started drinking, smoking weed, and using amphetamines, LSD and ecstasy at age 16. He started using heroin at age 23.

The period between ages 14 and 25 is monumentally important for young people’s healthy physiological and psychological development. Their perspectives and self-perceptions are shifting — no longer are their parents’ opinions the most important. Their friends’ and their own opinions about right, wrong, cool, un-cool, fashionable and unfashionable are most important.

From ages 14 to 25, young people are exposed to a broad spectrum of concentrated experiences. Academic work might come easily to one student while social interactions are much harder. Navigating friendships might be easy for one student while his or her family issues might be completely overwhelming.

For young people, each day is filled with a bombardment of new situations, new problems and new decisions to make. In his essay, Brand admits a truth about addicts and users that all parents and community members must acknowledge: “Drugs and alcohol are not my problem — reality is my problem. Drugs and alcohol are my solution.”

When we allow that “experimentation” with tobacco, alcohol and drugs is a part of the trajectory into young adulthood, we’re allowing escapism for our young people. We’re stunting their growth as human beings. We’re letting them avoid the hard and sometimes unrewarding work of simply dealing with everyday life. Even worse, we’re allowing still-developing brains and bodies to be affected by altering chemicals. We’re sending young people with genetic predispositions to addiction who still are developing coping skills to parties where their first sip of alcohol or first hit of acid can start a spiral into addiction that lasts well past the age of 25.

Experimentation is not “just a phase” for many young people. Drinking and using drugs, whether lightly or heavily through high school and college, adds up to nearly a decade of altered physiological and psychological state.

How easy will it be for our young people to break a decade-long habit? Are we doing them any favors by calling experimentation a part of growing up? Are we really telling our children “It’s ok to use, but only while you’re young?”

Please consider, instead, showing our young people that you care about them but that you will not accept a chemical answer to a human question of how to cope. Let’s tell our children “Let me help you understand and navigate your growing pains. We’ll get through this together.”

Laura Ferguson is a program manager at Youth Resources of Southwestern Indiana. Since 1987, Youth Resources has engaged more than 146,000 youths in leadership development and community service through its youth-led TEENPOWER, Teen Advisory Council, Teen Court and Make A Difference Grant Programs. For more information, please call 812-421-0030 or visit www.youth-resources.org.